The initial contract will run for three years from 1 September 2021. It could be extended for a further three years “if required”, BCP council says, and has an expected annual value of £5.5 million.
The contract covers 48,000 tonnes of waste from 110,000 properties in the Bournemouth and Christchurch areas. The waste will be sent to New Earth Solutions’ facility in Canford to be turned into refuse derived fuel (RDF).
Poole has a separate contract with Viridor Waste Management until 2027, and the contracts are due to expire at the same time, when a joint procurement exercise will begin.
BCP council came into being in April 2019 after Bournemouth borough council, Christchurch borough council and the borough of Poole merged.
‘Environmental quality’
Councillor Mark Anderson, BCP council’s portfolio holder for the environment, cleansing and waste, said: “I am delighted that New Earth Solutions have been awarded this contract that was evaluated for both environmental quality and value for money. We are passionate about creating a sustainable environment, and this contract will help the council meet its declared zero carbon ‘climate and ecological emergency’ targets.
“BCP council is already very successful in managing its waste. Despite Covid-19 affecting how waste was managed worldwide in 2020/21, we still recycled 51.3% of our household waste and 87% of all BCP waste was diverted from landfill.
“As all the major waste contracts for BCP council have now been aligned to potentially end in 2027, this gives us an opportunity to further develop our long-term environmental strategies.’’
The new contract comes after New Earth Solutions also signed a contract with the neighbouring Dorset council last year (see letsrecycle.com story).
Canford
New Earth Solutions is part of Beauparc UK, which in turn is owned by Ireland’s Beauparc Utility Group.
At its Canford facility near Wimborne, New Earth Solutions’ treatment process extracts metals and a compost-like output from the waste.
The remainder is processed into RDF, which BCP council says will be sent to a new energy from waste facility at Bridgwater, Somerset.
BCP council says the arrangement ensures most of the waste is treated in the south west region, resulting in a “lower carbon output” compared to transporting it long distances.
Commenting on the award of the contract, Beauparc’s CEO Brian McCabe said: “We are delighted to be able to continue our relationship with BCP, providing them with sustainable, carbon friendly and circular solutions for managing their waste.
“As a group, we strive for innovative solutions that meet our ambitious plans of reducing carbon. The management team look forward to working alongside the authority to achieve mutual goals.”
Bournemouth and Christchurch
Representing an estimated population of just less than 400,000, BCP council had a household waste recycling rate of 53.9% in the 2019/20 financial year.
In April 2019, Bournemouth borough council, Christchurch borough council and the borough of Poole were replaced by the newly formed BCP council.
Prior to then, Bournemouth and Poole operated as separate unitary authorities. Christchurch waste services were part of an organisation led by Dorset county council, known as the Dorset Waste Partnership (DWP).
After the dissolution of the DWP, Christchurch waste services were operated by Dorset council from 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020 (see letsrecycle.com story). Responsibility for Christchurch waste services then transferred to BCP council on 1 April 2020.
Poole
Most of the waste from the Poole area is already treated under a separate third-party contract running to 2027 with Viridor (see letsrecycle.com story).
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